Scott Alexander examines the increasing use of 'justice' framing in social and environmental issues, exploring its implications and potential societal impact.
Longer summary
Scott Alexander discusses the trend of framing various social and environmental issues as matters of 'justice,' such as 'economic justice,' 'climate justice,' and 'racial justice.' He argues that this semantic shift from 'helping' or 'saving' to 'justice' carries different implications and connotations. The post explores how the justice framing might suggest current conditions are unjust, imply an obligation to pursue justice, and potentially conflate sophisticated philosophical concepts with criminal justice connotations. Scott also posits that this shift might reflect a transition from utopian to dystopian thinking in society.
Shorter summary